Vendor preview: LIC Flea & Food opens June 15 & 16

LIC FLEA & FOOD, a new outdoor market in Long Island City, is opening this month.

It is finally here—June 15 marks the highly-anticipated launch of LIC Flea & Food, a brand new market running every weekend this summer and showcasing some of the city’s finest artists and vendors. It will make Long Island City a summertime destination for visitors from all five boroughs and beyond.

The market is located at the corner of 46th Avenue and 5th Street in Long Island City. Admission is free. Visit www.licflea.com for directions, ferry and shuttle information along with details about how to become a vendor.

The Queens Courier is thrilled to bring you an exclusive sneak peek at just a small portion of the starting lineup. We asked these charter participants to share a little about what they will be selling at the market as well as the reasons they are thrilled to be a part of this exciting new venture.

“We will be selling our 3 signature drinks: Rocket Fuel (cold-brewed coffee with chicory and maple milk), Voo Doo Child (cold brewed coffee with condensed milk and homemade sweet cream), and Strawberry Iced Tea (lemon black iced tea with strawberry puree). We are excited about the exposure LIC is going to get. The neighborhood has really blossomed and I’m proud to show people what we have to offer.”

Steve Tibaudo Bowties will be selling 15 to 20 pre-tied bowties with funky, crazy colors and cool prints. “I’m really excited about the new opportunity of the LIC Flea. I’m pretty much launching my company with the flea market, this is really my coming out to Long Island City.”

“We will be serving up many of our uniquely flavored handcrafted mallows including the creamsicle, churros, mallopolitans and ginger wasabi mallows just to name a few… and the ridiculously delicious BLT S’MORE– a tomato flavored marshmallow on a crostini with a slice of applewood smoked bacon on top. Mitchmallows are shipped all over the country, but as they are created in LIC, the Food & Flea gives us the opportunity to showcase our amazing handcrafted marshmallows to our hometown crowd!”

“I’ll be selling canvas tote bags featuring my own art and design work. The LIC Food & Flea is really the launching point for my business, so everything about this feels new and exciting for me. I’m most excited for the customer feedback and business insight.”

Itizy will be offering four to five flavors of their handcrafted ice cream and one sherbet flavor (blueberry mojito). Ice Cream Pops will also be introduced with a shell of white chocolate and candy and ice cream inside. “Long Island City is a fantastic neighborhood. One of the most exciting things is being able to be featured with all the vendors. We love to share food and ideas with the other vendors. Being part of a new startup market in Queens is very exciting for us.”

“We will be serving ginger pulled pork sliders with pickled cilantro carrot slaw, fresh sweet corn & onion relish dogs, chorizo baked bean dogs, and the Alobar ‘Big Dog’—an all beef hot dog topped with the ginger pulled pork and pickled carrot slaw. The fact that we are 2 blocks away—it doesn’t get any more local than that! It’s a great way to get people that don’t already know LIC to come here and enjoy what the neighborhood has to offer.”

“I’ll be selling kickass mid-century modern furniture, lighting, accessories and handmade Persian rugs. It will be a one-stop shop for modern, atypical, sophisticated home decor. I choose vintage pieces that are relevant now. I also restore old furniture and build new furniture out of solid wood. LIC is an untapped resource. I’m interested and looking forward to understanding the new demographic. I want to supply the modern furniture and handmade rugs that they are seeking.”

J&L Farms | 42 Old Church Rd, Monroe Twp, NJ | (908) 331-0467

“We will be selling our locally grown fruits and vegetables with an emphasis on heirloom varieties. We will also have fresh cut flowers. We are very excited to expand our markets and provide the residents of the greater LIC community with our high-quality locally grown produce and flowers.”

“I will be selling Made in America Robot apparel (t-shirts, onesies, bags, as well as, other garments) and Robot accessories (necklaces, earrings, rings, cuff-links, and bracelets) made from recycled computers, watches, remotes, and jewelry. While other boroughs have had similar events, Queens needed a large scale event to increase tourism and showcase the County. I look forward to being part of this new and exciting event and cannot wait to meet everyone who attends.”

SHOPgrl.com will be selling women’s apparel including sundresses, skirts, tank tops, shorts, different colored jeans, jewelry, handbags and much more. “We’re really excited to be able to connect with a whole new demographic of people. We would love to be able to talk with potential customers, meet the public and tell them who we are and what we are all about. “